Tortoise makes it 10 feet before police arrive

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. - Police had not trouble catching up to a tortoise reported missing Tuesday night.

"The average speed of a 65 lb. male Tortoise is 0.13 mph," Lt. Scott McKee said in a statemetn. "No match for pursuing Springfield police who caught 'Horatio' about 10 feet on the opposite side of his fenced backyard."

Horatio had been reported missing by his owner earlier that evening.

“He was asleep when we found him,” said Officer Robert Rosales.

Rosales "has no formal training in turtle-wrangling," police said.

But the officer wondered what might have been had police not arrived when they did.

“He could have gotten another 20 or 30 feet if we hadn’t got there when we did,” Rosales said.